Difference Maker - Week 4

TRANSITION: After last week, I felt like we needed to talk about the importance of finding our identity in Christ, and how that impacts our viewpoint on making a difference.

To start off my message, I want to read something for you, and we will unpack it more in Scripture later: We crave an identity. A name. Something that will give us the worth, value, and significance we so desire. But more often than not, we feel the exact opposite. Lost. Insignificant. Worthless. Unidentified.

We convince ourselves that there has to be something more to life be- cause, deep down, we all long to identify with something bigger than ourselves. We try to fill this void with many things – what we do, say, think, wear, who we date...you name it. But it never satisfies us. We never find our true selves.

That’s because the truth of who we really are will never be found in anything this world can offer. It’s in a Person. In the very beginning, God stamped us with His very own identity. He made us in His own image and gave us inherent worth, value, and significance. And even though it was our own sin that separated us from our God-given identity, Jesus came to identify with sinners so that we can be reidentified in Him. When we identify with His death, we are called to live as He did so that we can also identify with His resurrection and eternal life. And when we discover God’s plan behind all this, we realize that He has identified us for a purpose much greater than we could ever imagine.

At the beginning of this year, I communicated to you guys that our focus for this year is transformation. In Romans 12, we are told not to conform or become like the world because the world is inherently selfish and evil, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. When you come on Sunday night, that is my hope and prayer, but in order to do that, it needs to transfer to your life outside of Cornerstone Student Ministry.

The “much greater” purpose that we are given through our identity found in Christ is what we’ve been talking about over the last few weeks.

First, we heard that we are called to be difference makers, just like David.

Then, we realized that this requires us to be dependent on God in order to be difference Makers - a point which we will go a little deeper tonight.

Last week, we were reminded that Christ’s work alone is what qualified us to be a difference maker. This work of qualification was also one of identification.

Here’s what I mean: Jesus’s sacrifice paid for your sin, and it also allowed you to be grafted into His family. You were identified as God’s son or daughter.

1 Peter 2:9-10

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

Scripture

He Made a Difference for you

Colossians 2:13-15

13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed[a] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

We get into a little more detail of why we were dead because of our sins in chapter 3.

Colossians 3:5-6

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.

ILLUSTRATION:

You know when you’ve done something wrong? And when I say wrong, I mean like it’s so bad that you’re really not sure that your parents will understand and forgive you?

I had this experience when I was really little (Hitting Ashley in the head with a golf club)

I know that’s a crazy example, but you have no idea how grateful I was for my parent’s forgiveness.

It’s interesting how when we experience the grace and incredible love that Christ has shown us, it compels us to want to make a difference.

You may have heard this before in your life, but you make mistakes and you aren’t perfect. While that may seem depressing, it’s the reality of who we are without Christ. But listen to what Colossians says about who we are once we identify with Christ.

Colossians 2:20

20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world.

V 12 - You have been chosen (1 Peter)

He Makes a Difference in you

Colossians 3:7-10

7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Body, Soul, Spirit

Picture from the 8th grade girls

The things you used to do are “stripped off”

Those characteristics of your old sinful nature are things that I’m sure each of you wants to get rid of, but in your heart you feel like you can’t

Like we talked about last week, God does the work in us. We can’t do it ourselves, but the Holy Spirit helps us put on the new nature.

This is important in the process of being a difference maker

If your heart isn’t surrendered to God, it becomes much harder to make a true difference in other’s lives.

He Can Make a Difference through you

Colossians 3:12-17

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

This is the part I get excited about!!!

Imagine if we were to clothe ourselves with these things?!

I think that when we hear the phrase “Difference Maker,” we kind of dismiss it, and we think we aren’t able to really be a difference maker

Whether it’s because we doubt ourselves, or we have a higher expectation of what it means to make a difference, we just assume that it’s someone else's responsibility to be a difference maker.

But Colossians 3 tells us what we need to do

Clothe ourselves with those characteristics (Of Christ)

Forgive and make allowances for people’s faults

Love others

Let peace rule in our hearts

Sing songs, lets God’s word fill our lives, and teach and encourage one another

Paul is writing to a church, but this message so uniquely fits our group on Sunday nights as well

You see this is a place to worship the name of Jesus, and learn more about Him. It’s a place to grow in your relationship with Christ, and your relationships with friends who also love God. It’s a place to be built up in your faith, so that you are motivated to make a difference in the world.

But that’s usually not where it leads, and that’s my challenge for you tonight.

Conclusion (Have students close their eyes; grab guitar and mic during silence)

Does the grace that Christ has shown you motivate you to want to make a difference in other’s lives?

Have you put on the new nature, and accepted the identity of “difference maker” because of the work Christ is doing in you?

Are you willing to clothe yourself with Christ each day so that you can be used to make a difference?

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